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Yesterday, President Biden issued a Fact Sheet entitled Biden Administration Efforts to Address Bottlenecks at Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Moving Goods from Ship to Shelf to help address the “delays and congestion” across the transportation supply chain. As has been widely reported in recent weeks and months, the global supply chain has been hard hit by large increases in e-commerce and delays and shutdowns implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19. Yesterday’s release confirms public and private commitments to move goods more quickly and to secure the resiliency of American and global supply chains. To do so, the Biden Administration is focusing on the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which act as the ports of entry to the United States for 40% of containers received. The President, together with leadership from these ports, are undertaking a series of public and private commitments as noted below.

On the public side, the Biden Administration has taken numerous steps in the past several months to secure the supply chain and ensure that goods are delivered. In June, the White House launched the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, and, in August, announced John Porcari as the White House Envoy to the Task Force. Last week, the White House issued a release summarizing additional actions taken by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Commerce to address increased grocery store prices and the global semiconductor chip shortage respectively. Yesterday’s Fact Sheet also promises to continue to work with industry shareholders to move the American supply chain toward 24/7 operations. For its part, the Port of Los Angeles will expand its hours of operation to 24/7 with new off-peak night and weekend shifts.

On the private side, the union that provides labor for the Port of Los Angeles, and large retailers and delivery companies have agreed to maximize night and weekend hours to ease some of the backlog. For example, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union has announced that its members are willing to work those additional shifts at the Port of Los Angeles. In addition, large retailers have committed to increasing the use of night-time and weekend hours, and large delivery companies will increase the volume of containers that they move from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Ultimately, the commitments announced yesterday are expected to move 3,500 additional containers per week at night through the end of 2021.

The Fact Sheet demonstrates the attention the Biden Administration is giving to supply chain issues and their resolution. Crowell & Moring LLP will continue to track these developments.

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Photo of Lyndsay Gorton Lyndsay Gorton

Lyndsay Gorton is a Government Contracts counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office. Her practice focuses on government contracts litigation and counseling, including government investigations, fraud matters under the False Claims Act, bid protests, and federal and state regulatory compliance. In addition…

Lyndsay Gorton is a Government Contracts counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office. Her practice focuses on government contracts litigation and counseling, including government investigations, fraud matters under the False Claims Act, bid protests, and federal and state regulatory compliance. In addition to her primary government contracts practice, Lyndsay has federal court litigation experience representing a broad variety of clients in commercial litigation matters, and has led and managed teams at every stage of litigation, including discovery, dispositive motion practice, trial, and settlement. She also uses her litigation experience to assist her clients with internal investigations, risk management, and compliance.

Photo of Rebecca Baden Chaney Rebecca Baden Chaney

Rebecca Baden Chaney is a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and is co-chair of the firm’s Transportation Practice. Transportation, micromobility, consumer, and other product manufacturers lean on Rebecca Chaney’s keen understanding of the transportation and consumer product industries and the legal…

Rebecca Baden Chaney is a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and is co-chair of the firm’s Transportation Practice. Transportation, micromobility, consumer, and other product manufacturers lean on Rebecca Chaney’s keen understanding of the transportation and consumer product industries and the legal landscape to advance their businesses. Rebecca applies her commercial-focused product risk lens to represent product manufacturers facing litigation, commercial, and regulatory challenges.

Rebecca is an industry-recognized force in litigating complex product-related warranty, defect, indemnity and contractual commercial disputes, and consumer litigation, including in class actions and mass tort proceedings. She counsels her commercial clients on product disputes, risk mitigation, and crisis management matters. Rebecca additionally defends clients against defamation claims. Clients appreciate Rebecca’s close coordination with them, her proactive approach, and her critical and creative thinking about each stage in a litigation or matter.

Rebecca’s approach embraces product liability risk management across the life cycle of product commercialization, from pre- to post-launch to aftermarket. This includes advice on product labeling, as well as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Consumer Product Safety Commission regulatory compliance, recall, and enforcement issues.

Photo of Peter J. Eyre Peter J. Eyre

Peter J. Eyre is a partner and co-chair of Crowell & Moring’s Government Contracts Group. He is also a member of the firm’s Management Board. Peter was named to BTI Consulting Group’s list of “Client Service All-Stars” in 2016, 2017, and 2019 and…

Peter J. Eyre is a partner and co-chair of Crowell & Moring’s Government Contracts Group. He is also a member of the firm’s Management Board. Peter was named to BTI Consulting Group’s list of “Client Service All-Stars” in 2016, 2017, and 2019 and has been named an Acritas Star, Acritas Stars Independently Rated Lawyers (2016, 2017, 2019). He is nationally ranked by Chambers USA in Government Contracts since 2014, and by Super Lawyers since 2017.

Photo of Nicole Simonian Nicole Simonian

Nicole Janigian Simonian is the co-chair of the firm’s International Trade practice and International Employment and Global Mobility Lead, with a focus on the firm’s Asia practice. A partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office, she is also a director of the firm’s…

Nicole Janigian Simonian is the co-chair of the firm’s International Trade practice and International Employment and Global Mobility Lead, with a focus on the firm’s Asia practice. A partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office, she is also a director of the firm’s China office in Shanghai. Nicole’s practice covers a range of international compliance and regulatory issues, including cross border transactions, international trade, global mobility and employment, and global supply chains.

Nicole is a member of the firm’s COVID‐19 Working Group, focusing on advising employers on compliance with U.S. and international initiatives affecting private employers and providing guidance on how to navigate the myriad of regulatory complexities companies are confronted with on a global basis.